Twin rockers hit it big with jingles

By: David Winzelberg April 11, 2014Comments Off on Twin rockers hit it big with jingles

The Alessi Brothers’ music career spans 47 years, with more than 8 million records sold.

Looking back on Billy and Bobby Alessi’s 47-year music career, it’s tough to pinpoint all the high notes.

With more than 8 million records sold, a Grammy nomination and a platinum album for a best-selling movie score, there have been many. The twin brothers from West Hempstead High School are one of Long Island’s most prolific songwriting teams.

Even if you’re not a fan – or have never even heard of them – you’ve likely heard their music. That’s because, after releasing a handful of modestly successful pop albums in the 1970s and 80s, the Alessi brothers turned to writing the music for commercial jingles, creating memorable tunes for corporate clients including McDonald’s, Hertz, Ford, J.C. Penney, Kodak and many more.

Among the Alessis’ most popular commercial hits are songs for Sears (“come see the softer side”), Diet Coke (“just for the taste of it”), Kohl’s (“more of what you’re looking for”) and Dr. Pepper (“we make your world taste better”). They don’t write the slogans, but they write the music – and their work has been spun into commercial magic by legends including Elton John, Whitney Houston, B.B. King and Michael McDonald.

The Alessis started early, signing their first recording contract when they were just 14. Three years later, the teenaged brothers joined the cast of “Hair” for the last two years of the show’s Broadway run. There they met their future guitarist, Peppy Castro, formerly of the Blues Magoos, and formed a band dubbed Barnaby Bye, after a line in a poem written by Castro’s ex-wife.

Barnaby Bye started playing in area clubs like My Father’s Place in Roslyn and Rum Runners in Oyster Bay. After catching a 1971 gig at Kenny’s Castaways in Manhattan, Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun signed the four-man group, including drummer Mike Ricciardella, to a two-record contract.

Billy Alessi remembers that first deal with a major label very well.

“We got a $25,000 signing bonus for the first record, so we each got $5,000,” he recalled. “For the second, we got $50,000.”

Bobby Alessi

It was a lot of money in those days, but the brothers would do even better when they got into commercial jingles in the 1980s, making as much as $80,000 a pop from creative fees and residuals.

In 1985, the Alessis were nominated for a Grammy Award for their work on the platinum-selling soundtrack album for “Ghostbusters.” The brothers were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2012.

Music promoter and Hall of Fame founder Jim Faith said the brothers have remained relevant through the years by diversifying, something that eludes many in the fame-is-fleeting business. Faith called the Alessis “a true example of the talent that Long Island grows and a big part of its music history.”

Through the years, the Alessis have played shows throughout the states and around the globe, touring extensively in Europe, South America and Japan. These days, the 61-year-old brothers’ live appearances are fewer and farther between.

“We’re touring about four times a year, but we’re only out for a couple of weeks at a time,” Billy Alessi said.

When he’s not on stage or recording new music with his brother, Billy – who lives in Cold Spring Harbor – still writes for a Dallas-based jingle company called Axcess Group. Bobby, who lives in Lattingtown, runs the brothers’ website and manages their merchandise sales.

The boys are scheduled to appear as Barnaby Bye at the Cutting Room in Manhattan in May and at the Boulton Center in Bay Shore in June. More information on their tour dates and times is available at alessibros.com.